Biography

Widely regarded as one of the nation’s top judges and most distinguished constitutional law scholars, the Honorable Michael W. McConnell is a leading authority on separation of powers, federalism, originalism, and various other aspects of constitutional law. He is particularly well known for his work on freedom of religion—a critical area of constitutional law that was a key focus of his scholarship before he ascended the bench. In addition to teaching, he is the director of the Stanford Constitutional Law Center, which was founded in 2006 to explore and improve public understanding of the most pressing constitutional issues.

Before joining Stanford in 2009, McConnell served as a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He was previously Presidential Professor of Law at the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, and prior to that the William B. Graham Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. McConnell also practiced law as an appellate litigator, arguing 11 cases in the U.S. Supreme Court and numerous cases in other courts, and was Special Consultant to the appellate practice group of the Chicago-based law firm of Mayer Brown. He served as law clerk to then Chief Judge J. Skelly Wright of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and to Justice William J. Brennan Jr. of the U.S. Supreme Court. McConnell was an assistant general counsel at the Office of Management and Budget and an assistant to the Solicitor General in the Department of Justice under President Ronald Reagan. He is also a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution.

In the News

• GOP Opposition Slows Obama's Judicial Nominees
  KQED News, November 16, 2009
• From 19th-Century View, Desegregation Is A Test
  The New York Times, November 10, 2009
• Healthcare Provision Seeks To Embrace Prayer Treatments
  Los Angeles Times, November 03, 2009
• Law Prof Argues Pay Czar Is Unconstitutional
  ABA Journal, October 30, 2009
• New Court Term Hints At Views On Regulating Business
  The New York Times, October 05, 2009

Courses & Programs

Courses

• Creation of the Constitution
• Religion and the First Amendment
• Tocqueville's Democracy in America

Publications & Cases

• Michael W. McConnell, The Pay Czar is Unconstitutional: Kenneth Feinberg Hasn't Been Confirmed by the Senate, Wall Street Journal, October 30, 2009, pg. A25.
• Michael W. McConnell, The Book of Judges (Book review: Philip Hamburger, Law and Judicial Duty), First Things, October 2009.
• Michael W. McConnell, Justice Brennan's Accommodating Approach Toward Religion, 95 California Law Review 2187 (December 2007).